Chapter Six
CHAPTER
The fiery sun was dipping below the radiant horizon, casting the Wildstone football field in an amber glow as Caleb carefully removed his mouthguard and sighed with relief.
His tired muscles quivered with exhaustion while his heart raced after the intense rugby union game he’d just played.
They’d won, just. Their neighbouring rivals had been tough to beat, but they’d succeeded with only a few battered body parts and a couple of deflated egos.
As the heaving crowd began to thin, he scanned the field with sharp eyes and quickly spotted her—Nyah Love, standing out in the fading daylight with piercing blue eyes that seemed to draw him in like a moth to a flame.
She stood beside his sweet sister, and Hope’s halo of blonde hair aglow in the sunlight made her appear even more of an angel than she already was.
Caleb ran to the change rooms and had the quickest shower he could before dressing and returning to the field, hoping Nyah was still there.
An unexpected rush of excitement surged through his body as he made his way across the trampled grass.
Closing the distance until he was able to reach out and touch Hope’s arm in greeting, he tried to maintain his composure, but try as he might, there was something about Nyah that managed to unravel his usual nerves of steel.
‘Hey, bro, great game,’ Hope said with a wide grin.
‘Thanks, sis.’ He glanced over at Vance, his best mate, football buddy and fellow police officer. ‘How’s the ankle faring after that almighty tackle?’
‘Bit bloody sore.’ Vance grimaced as he looked to his wrapped ankle. ‘But I’ll be right.’
‘Aw, don’t worry, I’ll look after you if you need me to,’ Hope chimed in, giving Vance a light clap on his back. ‘You big goof.’
Caleb almost rolled his eyes at the pair of them—if only they could see just how much they were meant to be with one another. But he wasn’t about to play cupid with his best mate and little sis, no siree. ‘I didn’t know you were a footy fan,’ he said casually as he moved to Nyah’s side.
‘Is that so?’ Nyah turned to face him, a small smile playing at her lips though her eyes held a lingering sadness. ‘I’m full of surprises, Hart.’ Her voice was like a soft melody that contrasted with the boisterous shouts of children playing nearby.
‘Oh trust me, I believe that, Love.’ Smiling from the inside out, Caleb couldn’t help but notice how her dark curls fell carelessly around her shoulders, or the way the soft, fading sunlight warmed her olive skin to perfection.
And for a few heart-racing moments, he found it hard to tear his gaze from her.
Out of Nyah’s line of sight, Hope flashed him a knowing look that seemed to say ‘don’t let her get away again, bro’.
He offered his romantic-at-heart sister a playful frown in response, and her grin widened.
‘I’m sure it’s been a rough couple of days, Nyah,’ he ventured cautiously, wanting to ease the silence with comfort. ‘If there’s anything I can do, anything at all…’
Nyah’s smile faltered for a moment as she looked away, seemingly gathering her thoughts.
Caleb respectfully gave her the space, silently chastising himself for being so forward, but when she turned back to him there was a shimmer of gratitude in her eyes.
He had to fight not to reach out and take her into his arms.
‘Just knowing you’re here for me helps,’ she confessed, and he felt the weight of her trust settle between them.
‘Always,’ he assured her, meaning it from the bottom of his heart.
By god, he wanted to protect her, to help her find some semblance of peace after years of turmoil and mystery that had plagued her family.
But he also knew better than to push—Nyah was fiercely independent, and her journey towards healing had to be her own.
So they stood in comfortable silence for a few moments longer, the world fading into a blur of dusk and shadows.
He felt a small but real tightening of the unspoken bond that tethered them together—two souls who intimately understood loss, finding solace in simply sharing space.
‘Let’s get going, you lot,’ Caleb finally said, breaking the stillness now that Hope had turned back from her conversation with the local librarian. ‘It’s getting chilly out here.’
‘Damn straight it is.’ Hope rubbed her arms. ‘Anyone else hungry?’ She fleetingly looked to Vance, her gaze hopeful.
‘I’m starving,’ Caleb replied. ‘How about a feed at the pub? I think they’ve got a reef and beef special on tonight.’
‘That sounds amazing!’ Nyah’s expression brightened, and Caleb’s heart brightened too at the gorgeous sight.
‘Good, that’s settled, let’s all head over there then.’
‘I wish I could join you, but I have to help the old man with some paperwork.’ Vance’s face couldn’t hide how miffed he was at having to miss out on a dinner with Hope. ‘Raincheck?’
‘If you’re lucky,’ Hope said with a giggle.
‘Catch you later, bud.’ Caleb slapped a hand on Vance’s shoulder. ‘You ladies right to go?’
‘Uh-huh,’ Hope replied. ‘Give me a call about the cake for your mum’s birthday tomorrow, Vance.’
‘Will do.’ And off he limped, towards the car park.
‘Reef and beef sounds divine.’ Nyah’s boots crunched on the dry grass as they turned to leave the footy field. ‘I haven’t had a steak doused in garlic prawns in forever.’
‘Well then, you’ve been missing out, Ny, big time,’ Caleb said with a beaming smile as he walked between Nyah and his sister.
Together, they left the football field behind and ambled down the pebbled path that led behind the club and into the heart of Wildstone.
Their walk was filled with casual conversation, a delicate weave of trivial topics and carefully avoided talk of the past. Caleb spoke of the weather turning warm now that spring had sprung, and his local team’s chances for the season.
Hope added her two-bob’s worth here and there, her laughter contagious, while still allowing the chat to be led by her brother.
Nyah’s responses were thoughtful and witty, revealing glimpses of the free-spirited woman Caleb had fallen head over boots for all those years ago.
They approached the quieter, more family-friendly of the three pubs in town, The Hare and the Hound, owned by an English couple who’d called Wildstone home for almost eight years, where warm light spilled from the windows and onto the street, beckoning them in.
The two women stepped inside as Caleb kept the door open, and the lively hum of activity greeted them.
From the direction of the dining room, the rich aroma of hearty cooked meals tempted his appetite.
Taking the lead, he guided them to a vacant table, pulled two chairs out and made sure both Nyah and Hope were comfortable before taking his own seat with his back to the wall and a clear view of the room—the instinctive trait of a police officer.
Taking a moment as the two women perused the menu, he scanned the faces around them and felt a sense of guardianship over this small slice of the world.
‘You two decided?’ Hope peered over the top of her menu.
‘As much as I could order almost everything on here, I still reckon I’m going to go for the reef and beef.’ Nyah glanced up from her menu. ‘How about you?’
‘That makes two of us,’ Hope replied.
‘Great minds think alike.’ Caleb grinned as he stood. ‘I’ll head up and order and grab us a round of drinks while I’m at it.’ He took a guess at both of their preferences. ‘A vodka lemonade for you, sis.’ He turned to Nyah. ‘And a shandy for you?’
‘Wowsers, you remember?’ She looked at him with sparkling admiration.
‘Of course I do,’ he replied casually, although on the inside he was chuffed at her delighted response. ‘Back in a sec.’ He turned towards the bar, his steps feeling a little lighter than usual.
Returning ten minutes later, he distributed the drinks he was juggling, handing Nyah her glass with a gentle ‘here you go’.
The clink of glasses punctuated the momentary silence that fell between them.
Caleb watched as Nyah took a sip, her lips curving into a smile that reached into the depths of her profound blue eyes, and for a fleeting second he basked in the warmth of a glance directed at only him as the pub’s wholesome ambiance wrapped around them.
Catching a glimpse of the shared moment, Hope flashed him a delighted grin and he couldn’t help but return one to his hopeful sister.
She’d always longed for him and Nyah to one day be reunited.
And now they were, he had to admit he was feeling good about it, too.
But amid the laughter and murmurs of voices, there was an underlying solemnity for him, a shadowy weight upon his shoulders—Nyah still hadn’t gotten the closure she needed with Skye, and it was over his dead body that he’d allow her to live out her days without answers to what had happened to her little sister that fateful day.
She’d already lost so much in her short life, and he ached to give her some peace.